musical musings from the frozen north:
torontopia, mont royal city and kawartha kottages

Monday, June 27, 2016

American Tunes: Allen Toussaint and Paul Simon

Allen Toussaint – American Tunes (Nonesuch)

This week we lost 72-year-old Bernie Worrell, the synth wizard
of Funkadelic and Talking Heads and session player on hundreds of recordings
(and sampled on hundreds more hip-hop records), who redefined the keyboard’s
role in R&B and funk and pop. A few months ago we lost Keith Emerson, 71,
who redefined the role of piano, organ and synth in jazzy and bombastic rock
music. And a few months before that, we lost Allen Toussaint, 77, the man who
almost single-handedly introduced the unique New Orleans sound into rock and
soul music, midwifing recordings by Lee Dorsey, the Meters, Labelle, The Band
and Dr. John. It’s been a horrible 12 months for keyboard heroes. Hey, Herbie
Hancock: hope you’re feeling okay.

This is the final recording by Toussaint, who, in the last
decade of his life, was making lovely, simply adorned records that took
leisurely strolls through his legacy. This one is no different, walking through
a century of American music by composers such as Duke Ellington, Billy
Strayhorn, Bill Evans, Earl King, Professor Longhair, Fats Waller and more,
including Toussaint’s own compositions (including his hit for Glen Campbell,
“Southern Nights”) and the title song, by Paul Simon. That song, the last one recorded
for the album—a month before Toussaint’s death of a heart attack following a
performance in Madrid—contains these lyrics: “And I dreamed I was dying / And I
dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly / And looking back down at me / Smiled
reassuringly.”

Produced by Joe Henry, who also helmed 2009’s The Bright Mississippi, American Tunes features the sympathetic
rhythm section of drummer Jay Bellerose and Toronto bassist David Piltch, with
guest spots from Bill Frisell, Greg Liesz, and vocalist Rhiannon Giddens.
Toussaint’s reputation as a producer, arranger and songwriter often
overshadowed just what a brilliant piano player he is: here he displays a
magical touch that ranges from classical flourish to swinging jazz to
boogie-woogie, all delivered with elegance. I thought I knew everything
Toussaint could deliver until I heard him dive into a 19th-century
composition by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, who was born in New Orleans but spent
most of his life in the Caribbean and South America. Surprising us right until
the end. (June
30)

Stream: “Big Chief,” “Danza, Op. 33,” “Dolores’ Boyfriend”

Paul Simon – Stranger to Stranger (Universal)

“Stranger to stranger / if we met for the first time / this
time, could you imagine us falling in love again?” It’s hard to imagine anyone
hearing Paul Simon for the first time in 2016, anyone not coming to a new Paul
Simon record without some kind of preconceived idea. But I’m willing to bet
that if they did, they’d be just as beguiled as someone hearing any of the
iconic songs or albums that have made him such an enormous part of American
music in the last half-century. “Certain melodies tear your soul apart,” he
sings—and he should know.

Here, we find Simon once again delving into rhythms from Africa,
South America and New Orleans, gospel harmonies, electronics (many lessons
learned from his 2006 collaboration with Brian Eno, Surprise), and melodic
remnants of his ’70s prime, all the while playing the role of the slightly
bewildered and flustered Baby Boomer poet laureate adrift in the modern world.
Only Paul Simon could write a song about being denied backstage access
(“Wristband”) and make it funny and a metaphor for economic stratification
rather than merely the precious complaints of a rock star. Simon often suffers
when he suffocates from his own seriousness; he does not have that problem on
this joyous and spritely album, on which he sings: “I make my verse for the universe
/ I write my rhymes for the universities / I give it away for the hoot of it /
I tell my tale for the toot of it.”

The best three tracks are cross-generational collaborations with
Italian DJ Clap! Clap! (who came recommended by Simon’s 23-year-old son),
though everything else is produced by longtime guiding light Roy Halee, who’s
worked on almost everything Simon has ever done, dating back to Simon &
Garfunkel’s first record in 1964. Halee is now 81, and apparently had to be
instructed on ProTools to record this album (seriously, what took him so long,
and why now?); the modern sound of Stranger
to Stranger more than proves why Halee has been the ideal midwife for
Simon’s vision since day one. (June 2)